Virginstow (01409 211236; www.percys.co.uk)
Imagine a final, unscreened episode of The Good Life ... Barbara catches Tom showing Margo his smallholding and chases them out of Surbiton. But where can the mismatched lovers hole up? What will satisfy Tom's earthy yearnings and Margo's sophisticated tastes?
I suggest Percy's Country Hotel & Restaurant. Set in a 130-acre estate, it has impeccable organic credentials (certified with the Soil Association) but there is a touch of urban chic about the accommodation. It also has cute appeal. Black labradors wait in the car park to escort you on a tour of their domain, introducing you to lambs and piglets (morphing in my mind into sausages on legs in my pre-dinner hunger) and pretending to be interested in retrieving the sticks you throw.
All of these characters are merely the supporting cast to Tina Bricknell-Webb's food, modern English dishes made using produce from the estate and garnering a string of awards (including one from Observer Food Monthly). The starters (pork and chicken terrine with sweet marjoram, wild mushroom and chicken liver parfait, bacon, avocado, butter bean and thyme salad) are presented on dramatic sculptures crafted from the freshest and most perfect green leaves. Those lambs and piglets make their grand entrance in the main course (braised lamb shank, pork escalope with sage crumb and a juniper jus). The lemon tart with rosemary ice cream is a tongue-tingling finale.
The rooms, in a former granary, are simply furnished but welcoming, with fresh flowers and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. No plastic-wrapped biscuits here, but yummy carrot cake and lavender shortbread.
The hotel is on the edge of Dartmoor, an ideal base for long walks. The surfing resort of Bude is a 30-minute drive, as is the dramatic National Trust beach at Sandymouth Bay. We walked from one to the other along the clifftop path, fuelled by a breakfast of herby sausages, home-cured bacon and eggs with wonderful golden yolks.
The price: from £125pp per night, including breakfast and dinner.
We liked: the food, the food, the food.
We didn't like: Tina's description of her boar's sex life. Way too much detail.
The verdict: Tom and Margo live happily ever after.
